Automobile door locks



Oct. 28, 1969 F. TRINCA 3,474,648

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCKS Filed March 6. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FlCi. 1. 37 45 3 FIG. ll. FIG. 5. FIG. 8. 6

INVENTOR FREDERICK TRINCA 'BYWjJf/ ww ATTORNEY Oct. 28, 1969 F. TRINCA 3,474,648

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I v 3l I l j 25 0, FIG. l4. 4; 1| I 23 H 22 j /E I I8 {2 I8 39 I 25 24 2/ 36 I 4"? 33 as P we 3| FIG. I6.

24 INVENTOR FREDERICK TRINCA i: BY M y W 3! 1: 2| ATTORNEY United States Patent U.S. Cl. 70181 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Members of a kit are used as anti-theft means in connection with conventional automobile door latches. The conventional latch knob is first removed, thereby exposing the threaded knob stem. The kit comprises a hollow sleeve which is inserted in the opening of the door panel about the stem. Means are provided for securing this sleeve in place. The sleeve has an enlarged head which rests on the door panel. The head has a recess for a knob secured on the stem when in its lower locked position. A tool manipulates the sleeve to its secured position and tightens the knob on the stem. For smaller diameter stems a shim is inserted in the knob.

Specification This invention relates to door latches and it is more particularly concerned with latches on the doors of automobiles.

Automobile doors of various automobile manufacturers comprise a vertical push-pull knob connected to a stem which locks the door when the knob is in its lower position. This prevents opening the door from the outside and may in some cases also prevent opening the door from the inside. In the latter case, the knob must be moved to its upper position before the door can be opened. This is particularly important to prevent theft. The ease with which a wire hanger, for example, can be inserted between glass panels and manipulated to open the door from within is well known. Even in cases where the knob locks the door from the inside as well as the outside, a wire deftly maneuvered between glass panels from the outside can be used to open the door by engaging the inside latch handle or lever. Among newer model automobiles, however, the latch handle is made relatively inaccessible to such maneuvering by pivoting it to operate in a horizontal plane, thereby requiring a lifting of the knob in order to unlock the door. This, too, can be accomplished from the exterior by a wire having an end loop.

An object of the present invention is the provision of means which makes it more difiicult to open a locked automobile door by insertion of a wire or other slender object between the glass panels.

Another object is the provision of such means which prevents accidental unlocking of the door from the inside, such as by children playing with the knob, or by an object inadvertently engaging the knob in an upward movemet.

A further object is the provision of such means with substitutes for the ordinary knob and which will function with many different makes of automobiles.

A still further object is the provision of such means, as a kit, which can be installed on an automobile by relatively unskilled persons.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of such means which are relatively inexpensive, reliable and not likely to get out of order over prolonged periods of use.

These and still further objects, advantages and features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the description which follows considered together with the accompanying drawing.

3,474,648 Patented Oct. 28, 1969 "ice In the drawing:

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the sleeve member of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view along the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view along the line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the knob member of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view along the line 6--6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the shim adapter member of FIG. 1.

.FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view along the line 99 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view along the line 1010 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the tool member of FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view along the line 12--12 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a vertical view of a fragmentary portion of a panel of an automobile door showing the means for inserting the sleeve member in place with the tool.

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 13 showing the means for securing the knob in place with the tool.

FIG. 15 is an assembled view of members comprising an embodiment of the invention in locked position.

FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 15 illustrating the use of the key member for raising the knob to the unlocked position.

FIG. 17 is a view similar to FIG. 15 showing the use of the shim on a smaller locking stem.

FIG. 18 is a cross sectional view along the line 18-18 of FIG. 17.

Referring to the drawing with more particularity, the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 16 is in conjunction with a typical automobile door 11 having a latch mechanism (not shown) lockable by means of a threaded stem 21 which is vertically movable in an opening 22 of a panel 23 of the door. The stem conventionally carries a threaded knob (not shown) by means of which it can be lowered for locking and raised for unlocking the latch mechanism.

In accordance with this invention the conventional knob is removed from the stem 21. A sleeve 24 is disposed in the opening 22 about the stem 21. The sleeve 24 has a crown 25 of enlarged diameter. The crown 25 has a downwardly facing shoulder 26 which bears against the door panel 23 adjacent the opening 22.

The portion of the sleeve 24 below the crown 25 has a vertical opening 27 on one side through which a resilient finger 28 projects. The finger 28 is integral with and outwardly biased relative to a ring 29. The ring is slidably mounted for axial movement inside the sleeve 24. A coil spring 30 between the bottom of the ring 29 and a flange 31 of the lower end of the sleeve 24 urges the ring upward.

The lower end of the sleeve 24 is inserted in the opening 22 and a tubular tool 32 is inserted within the sleeve and pushed downward against the ring 29 until the finger 28 snaps outwardly in abutment with the bottom of the panel 23. The tool 32 is then removed leaving the sleeve permanently fixed in position.

A knob 33 having circumferentially spaced threaded lobes 34 is then threadedly engaged with the stem 21. The top of the knob 33 is provided with slots 35 to fit a screwdriver 36 at the closed end of the tool 32. The

3 knob can thus be tightened on the stem (see FIG. 14). The parts are so proportioned that in the lowermost position of the stem 21 the beveled edge of the head 37 of the knob 33 is recessed in the crown 25. In this position, it is not feasible to lift the knob 33 with human fingers or by using a conventional wire manipulator.

A slot 38 is provided on the inner side of the crown 25 for the reception of a hook 39 on the end of a key 40. By means of this key the hook can be slidably engaged with the slot 38 and abuttingly engaged with the head 37 to elevate the knob to the unlocked position.

There are two general types of stems conventionally used in automobiles. One stem 21 is of a larger diameter than the other stem 41. The embodiment described above is adapted for use with the larger diameter stem 21. For the smaller diameter stem 41 a shim 42 is provided for insertion in the knob 33. This shim comprises an elongated plastic tube 43 having a series of slots 44 in circumferential spaced relation forming flexible slats 45 which match the spaces 46 between the lobes 34. These slats are thicker than the lobes 34 in an amount suflicient to result in a threaded engagement of their inner surfaces with the threads of the smaller diameter stem 41. One end of the tube 43 carries a flange 47 to limit its insertion within the Opening 34. When thus inserted in the opening 34 it ma be mounted on the smaller diameter stem 41 due to engagement of the slats with the threads of the stem 41.

I claim:

1. An automobile door having a locking mechanism including a stem vertically movable in a vertical opening of a horizontal panel of the door between an upper unlocked position and a lower locked position, the combination of a sleeve disposed in said opening about the stem, the upper end of said sleeve having a hollow crown,

means securing the sleeve in said opening, a knob carried by said stem, said crown being adapted to recessibly receive the upper end of the knob in the lower position of the stem, and selective mechanical means for elevating the knob from its recessed position, said securing means comprising a finger connected to the sleeve, the

upper end of said finger extending outwardly to a position abutting the bottom of the panel, said sleeve having a vertical slot, said finger being disposed in the slot.

2. The combination as defined by claim 1 in which the bottom of the finger is connected to a member slidable within the sleeve and a coil spring below the slidable member urging it upwardly.

3. The combination as defined by claim 2 in which the slidable member is a ring integral with the finger.

4. The combination as defined by claim 1 in which the selective mechanical means comprises a slot in one side of the crown and a key slidable in the slot to abut the knob.

5. The combination as defined by claim 1 and a tubular shim between the stem and knob.

6. The combination as defined by claim 1 in which the crown has a downwardly facing shoulder in contact with the upper side of the panel adjacent the opening.

7. The combination as defined by claim 5 in which the knob comprises a series of internal circumferentially spaced lobes and the shim comprises a tubular member having circumferentially spaced slits to register with said lobes, the thickness of the shim between said spaces being greater than the thickness of the lobes.

8. The combination as defined by claim 7 in which the shim has an outer end flange to abut the end of the knob when it is inserted therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 928,950 7/1909 Durkin 28753 2,708,845 5/1955 Tramrnell -181 2,849,886 9/1958 Mccloskey 74-23017 3,247,691 4/ 1966 Martin 70-181 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner R. L. WOLFE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 70208 

